The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon

The woman in red said, "Young man, my Soul-Severing Banner is immensely powerful. You have no chance of resisting it. Why not surrender? We absolutely won't hurt you, and you'll even receive tremendous benefits." Her voice was so gentle that it filled listeners with an indescribable sense of comfort.

Yan Chihuo's sword slowly lowered against his will. Shi San had completely forgotten where he was. The woman in red had been secretly delighted, but now, taking a closer look, she giggled. "Young man, how cunning of you. You nearly fooled me."

Ru Shuang glanced over and saw that something was amiss, too. She sneered, "If not for Shi San, I would nearly have fallen for his trick." Yan Chihuo inwardly lamented the missed opportunity. Shi San had already been bewitched by the woman's voice, and Yan Chihuo had feared that if he went over, she would kill him. So he had secretly held Shi San back with all his might, and the two women had not been fooled.

After a brief pause, he sent a surge of magical power into Shi San, immediately bringing him to his senses. Then he pulled Shi San through the black fog, darting left and right. On the surface, they seemed unable to escape the fog, but without realizing it, they had drawn much closer to the two women.

The woman in red sneered. "Young man, don't think you can escape." She refrained from killing him partly because she wanted to capture him alive and present him to Lady Red Glow, and partly because she feared Yan Chihuo's poison arts.

Her Soul-Severing Banner had been difficult to make. It required the souls of thirty-six pairs of virgin boys and girls. All thirty-six pairs had to be born on the same day, with three pairs for each of the twelve two-hour periods, and their birth charts had to be compatible. Yan Chihuo had just destroyed one pair, and finding another would not be easy. If she fought Yan Chihuo, she might lose several more. That would be a tremendous loss.

But just then, Yan Chihuo swung his sword at Ru Shuang. The woman in red was startled. Ru Shuang was already injured, and her Silver Hook had been destroyed; she would naturally have trouble resisting. The woman in red immediately shook the Soul-Severing Banner, laying down layer upon layer of black fog in front of Ru Shuang. Yan Chihuo's sword struck the fog. He felt countless overlapping layers of resistance ahead, and the sword's speed slowed.

He stretched out his left hand. Five rays of light shot from his fingers, and with a hiss, they pierced the black fog. He grabbed the banner and gave it a forceful yank. The woman in red had not expected Yan Chihuo's target to be the Soul-Severing Banner. Startled, she hurriedly poured in more magical power. His grasp carried immense force; she had a feeling that if she made the slightest mistake, the banner would be destroyed by that very grip.

Yan Chihuo seemed not to have expected the banner to be so formidable. For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate. Just then, a bank of white mist rolled in, and Shi San suddenly cried out, "The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon! He's nearby!"

The woman in red and Yan Chihuo were both shaken. Although the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's cultivation was nothing special, his reputation was truly formidable. Even the woman in red had heard of him, though she had no idea why he had come here. As for Yan Chihuo, there was no need to say more: his whole purpose in coming here was to find the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. But for him to arrive at such a convenient moment—could he have some past connection with the two women?

Ru Shuang had been about to take the opportunity to attack Yan Chihuo, but when she heard the name Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, she too grew wary and uncertain. The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon was greedy and lecherous, with a terrible reputation. Even she felt some fear of him.

Yan Chihuo secretly shook his head. He had planned it all out: while he and the woman in red were locked in a stalemate, Ru Shuang would surely launch a sneak attack. Then he could catch her off guard with his poison arts. Once Xuan Shuang was dead, he would face only one opponent and have nothing to fear. But the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's appearance had thrown his plans into disarray.

The white mist surged over and enveloped all four of them. Yan Chihuo had no time to concern himself with the two women. He withdrew his Soul Snatch grasp and secretly looked around. Shi San was even more panicked, and the two women were wary and uncertain as well.

The woman in red shouted, "Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, we've never interfered with each other. Let us go at once, and don't even think of making a move against us. You should know that we're from Red Glow Villa."

She announced her origins both to warn the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon and to let Yan Chihuo know. The mistress of Red Glow Villa, Lady Red Glow, was a Qi Gathering Stage expert. No matter how skilled the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon or Yan Chihuo might be, with Body Tempering Stage cultivation, they could never withstand a Qi Gathering Stage cultivator—not even the weakest one.

But her words drew no reply. Yan Chihuo looked around and saw countless wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards emerging from the white mist. He could tell at a glance that they were all illusions, but he still swung his sword to kill them.

The woman in red merely shook the Soul-Severing Banner, using the souls within it to hold them off. She knew that although the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's cultivation was inferior to hers, once he had set up this formation, even a Body Forging Late Stage cultivator would be hard-pressed to gain the upper hand.

She called out sweetly, "Brother Tian Xie, if you'll let us go, we two are willing to offer ourselves to you. I promise you'll find it much more enjoyable than forcing us." She knew the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon was extremely lecherous. The only reason he would dare risk offending Lady Red Glow was that he had taken a fancy to their looks.

But the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon still did not answer. The woman in red inwardly groaned. He was probably planning to ravish them first and kill them afterward. First, everyone at Red Glow Villa was skilled in cultivation techniques that drained others, so the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon would not trust them. Second, Lady Red Glow was no one to trifle with. No matter how lecherous he was, the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon would not risk his life for them; naturally, he would choose a way to end things once and for all.

Yan Chihuo found it strange, too. The white mist could not block his sight at all, yet he could not tell where the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon was hiding. Suddenly, he remembered that during his fight with the two women, he had already revealed that he could see through black fog. The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, watching from nearby, had likely noticed long ago.

Now his trump cards were all exposed, while his opponent lurked nearby, nowhere to be seen. The two women were enemies, too. His position could hardly have been worse.

He glanced at the two women again, and an idea struck him. Why had the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon attacked them at this moment? Why hadn't he waited for one side to defeat the other? Then one side would be too weak to fight, and the other would have exhausted much of its magical power, making victory that much easier for him.

From there, the answer followed naturally. The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon had not waited for both sides to fight to the death because he did not want that outcome. It was not that he wanted Yan Chihuo to die, of course. The only explanation was that he had taken a fancy to the two women and did not want either of them to perish.

At that thought, he raised his left hand. Five rays of light shot from his fingers and clawed toward the woman in red, while his right hand wielded his sword, striking left and right as he unleashed the Ape Lord Sword Art.

The woman in red had not expected Yan Chihuo to suddenly attack her. In her view, Yan Chihuo had to deal with the formation's attacks as well and could barely protect himself. How could he possibly have time to make a move against her?